"If it plays in Singapore..."

...it may not play in the States." That's the latest reaction to the accompanying Burger King ad for the "Super Seven Incher" meal deal that ran in Singapore. Not to disappoint my subliminal friends, but the ad's sexual meaning is clearly evident. Burger King has been attractive negative attention for its viral Whopper Virgin campaign, and well as "square pants" commercials. Mainstream media and blog reactions, as well as those of franchisees, are critical of the sexual and otherwise offensive themes in BK ads. The quick-service brand and its advertising partners agreed to tone down the sexual content but promise to continue a quest for "edgy" to build and maintain share.

What do you see in this billboard?

That's the question puzzling Athenians recently as they leave downtown. A second question quickly follows: "And what does she (and what's she's doing) have to do with a credit union?"

Credit Flagpole's Chris Hassiotis with the picture and printing both questions in the June 10 issue. Answer #1: A woman looking for change in her dryer. Answer #2: Well, the credit union's VP of marketing said it was one of several images in the the campaign targeted to college students who are, you know, always scratching for a couple bucks.

According to Hassiotis' lead, the image has tickled the male imagination, or at least triggered thoughts within both sexual and sexist contexts. But others see something else entirely. "It's funny to me," said the CU's VP, "...It's a girl who's fully clothed. The advertising is of someone fully clothed. I mean, I'm a Sunday school teacher."

Which begs the question, when is a young woman on all fours with her head stuck in a dryer just a young woman on all fours with her head stuck in a dryer?

Carnival ad might prime impure interpretations

A reader brought this ad to our attention. It's certainly innocent at surface level but subliminal enthusiasts would see much more. The ad appeared on the backs of busses before the recent Wellington (NZ) Cup Carnival sponsored by Century City Developments. Perhaps the headline, "Are you ready for a good time," might trigger a sexual interpretation of the accompanying image. Priming theory research demonstrates quite conclusively that words and phrases can influence how subsequent information is interpreted. I think our reader is on to something here. Thanks for the comment.

Cartier borrows from subliminal playbook, chastity belt

A recent ad for Cartier’s new Leve bracelet has a sexual feel, but not from the types of sexual content typically found in magazine advertising; as the ad contains no physically attractive models, no nudity, and no sexual behavior. At a higher level of processing, however, one could argue that the ad is fraught with sexual referents (allusions to objects with sexual meaning) and embeds (content interpreted as sexual at the subconscious level).

Sex and Death Embeds
Looking at the ad though the lens of Wilson Key (the guy who sees sex in ice cubes, and clouds, and…), it becomes obvious that the bracelet and key could be interpreted as symbolism for genitalia. While size is obviously distorted, there is an argument for power dynamics if the ad is geared toward women, as the key is much smaller than the bracelet it locks.

Notice the flames/steam coming off of the bracelet which could allude to the heat of passion this product evokes. Also note the red smoke in the background. One can argue that there is a skull-like face in the smoke (aka, death embed).

A Modern-Day Chastity Belt
At another level, there is the implied issue of bondage, or at least of “locking your woman up” to keep her away from other potential mates. Consider the tagline, “How far would you go for love?” The line could imply bondage or invoke ideas of chastity belts. The inspiration for Leve was a Cartier bracelet that “screwed around the wrist of the beloved with a screwdriver… possessing or letting yourself be possessed.”

In this ad, most viewers probably just see a bracelet and a key. Upon further analysis, however, some might say this ad is a very good example of sexual referents and embeds.

--Posted by Justin Pettigrew